1. Technical Field
The invention relates to a method of folding items of laundry. The invention further relates to a method of mechanically folding items of laundry and/or stacking items of laundry, wherein the items of laundry are transported through at least one longitudinal-folding station, the items of laundry are folded longitudinally at least once in the longitudinal-folding station and preferably the folded items of laundry are stacked at a plurality of stacking locations. The invention additionally relates to a method of folding items of laundry, wherein the items of laundry are transported through a longitudinal-folding station having at least one folding template and, in the longitudinal-folding station, the items of laundry are folded over on the at least one folding template by way of blowing air.
2. Prior Art
The operation of folding items of laundry automatically takes place in folding machines having at least one longitudinal-folding station. The items of laundry are conveyed individually through the longitudinal-folding station and folded longitudinally in the process. During the longitudinal-folding operation, the items of laundry are provided with at least one folding line running in the longitudinal direction of the longitudinal-folding station.
It is usually the case that items of laundry of different sizes are folded one after the other. All the items of laundry—regardless of size—are thereby transported through the longitudinal-folding station at the same speed. This means that it is only possible for relatively small items of laundry, but not larger items of laundry, to be folded during uninterrupted onward transportation through the longitudinal-folding station. As a result, the onward transportation of larger items of laundry through the longitudinal-folding station is interrupted for longitudinal-folding purposes. This results in the cycle time being extended.
It is also known for the items of laundry to be folded by way of blowing air with the aid of folding templates of the longitudinal-folding station. The blowing air acts on the items of laundry which are to be folded until it can be assumed with a degree of certainty that items of laundry of any size, but also of any width and any desired materials, have been definitively folded. As a result, the blowing-time duration is adapted to items of laundry of maximum length. In the case of shorter items of laundry, the blowing duration is unnecessarily long. This may result in definitively folded items of laundry still having blowing air acting on them as they are transported away, and some folding may become undone again as a result. Moreover, an unnecessary long blowing duration results in an increased consumption of compressed air and in an unnecessary amount of noise being caused by compressed air exiting from compressed-air nozzles.